SHELDON School’s Gemma Shepherd maintained her unbeaten record at Grittleton House School as she lifted the senior girls crown at last Saturday’s Wiltshire Schools Cross Country Championships.

In three appearances at the venue, the 17 year old has never lost there and she maintained that form on a weekend of success for her.

In 2011 and 2012, Shepherd won the junior girls’ title and, while she missed the next two championships, Shepherd, who lives at Yatesbury, returned to lift the senior girls’ crown.

For good measure she also raced in the Cardiff Cross Challenge the following day, finishing fourth in a good quality field.

“It has been a good start to the year for me and I will be looking to step things up now for the major championships coming up,” said Shepherd.

The accolade for the biggest winner of the day went to Malmesbury’s 15-year-old Zoe Wassell, who won the inter girls’ race by a staggering 1min 15secs from Caitlin Wosika, of John of Gaunt.

“I was really pleased with my run on Saturday,” said Wassell.

Rory Howorth’s gold on his debut in the junior boys’ race was the seventh by the three Howorth brothers, who are all students at Trowbridge’s St Augustine’s Catholic College, in four championships.

Twins John and Robert, aged 13, have won six medals in two years as the pair finished first and second in the 2012 minor boys’ age group and both the 2013 and 2014 junior age groups.

That they didn’t feature on the podium in the inter boys’ age group was a surprise, but both have been struggling with illness recently.

On the day, the race was marred by a marshalling error that split the field and left the organisers with a headache in determining the final outcome.

Notwithstanding the problems, 15-year-old Will Stockley was a worthy winner.

For the Melksham Oka School student it was his second gold in four championships which began with victory in the minor boys’ age group in 2011.

Since then he has also finished third in 2012 (juniors) and second in 2014 (inters) and will have high hopes of doing well at the South West Schools’ Cross Country Championships at the same venue next month.

Behind him was Cameron Perkins, of Hardenhuish in second and John of Gaunt’s Freddie Webb in third.

John and Robert Howorth came fifth and ninth respectively.

Hardenhuish’s David Bunce was third in the senior boys’ race behind the Swindon Schools’ pair of Callum Bampton and Ciaran Cooper and there was also a bronze for Dauntsey’s James Pickford in the minor boys’ event.

Other local medals included a silver for 14-year-old Corsham School’s Jade Littlechild in the junior girls with Lucy Fitzpatrick, of St Mary’s Calne, third.

Also from St Mary’s, Susie Hirst was runner-up in the minor girls’ race with Hardenhuish’s India Ibbotson third.

Based on each district’s A team, North Wiltshire emerged the top team scoring 36 points, well ahead of Salisbury.

After the late decision to postpone the event from the previous weekend due to the forecast of high winds organiser Tim Whiting was delighted with the outcome.

“It was a glorious day and every year the event seems to improve and I believe this time it went to a new level,” said Whiting.

“This year for the first time the Markland Clinic was offering free massages for runners, which was very popular.

The marshals from the Ridgeway and Sheldon schools were brilliant and Grittleton House proved to be a stunning course.”

RESULTS

Overall teams: 1 North Wiltshire 36; 2 Salisbury 21; 3 Kennet 14; 4 West Wiltshire 14; 5 Swindon 11.

Senior boya: 1 Callum Bampton (R) 23:57: 2 Ciaran Cooper (SNC) 25:32; 3 David Bunce (H) 26:36; 4 Ethan Jones (S) 26:38; 5 Jay Painter (S) 26:57; 6 Sam Rockett (SL) 27:14; 7 Jacob Payne (CS) 27:16; 8 Joseph Morrison (DE) 28:48; 9 Robert Mitchell (D) 28:49; 10 George Clarely (S) 29:06.

Inter boys: 1 Will Stockley (MO) ; 2 Cameron Perkins (H); 3 Freddie Webb (JG); 4 Josh Shuter (SJC); 5 John Howorth (SA); 6 Jaymee Domoney (SJC); 7 Henry Dixon (SA); 8 Elliott Lassiter (D); 9 Robert Howorth (SA); 10 Jacob Bacon CS).

Junior boys: 1 Rory Howorth (SA) 15:03; 2 Hayden Bailey (JG) 15:20; 3 Jake Nickerson (SL) 15:28; 4 Finley Lloyd-Gilmore (SS) 15:36; 5 Jonah Veakins (SA) 15:45; 6 Ethan Pierce (A) 15:45; 7 Robert Croager (BW) 15:47; 8 Otto Copping (CS) 15:56; 9 Daniel Poynting (BW) 16:00; 10 Thomas Musselwhite (SJC) 16:13.

Minor boys: 1Anthony Lynn (WC) 10:16; 2 Sam Butt (TS) 10:20; 3 James Pickford (D) 10:25; 4 Patrick Mochan (LPA) 10:31; 5 Josh Sawford (BF) 10:36; 6 Miles Littlechild (CS) 10:36; 7 Fergal Brophy (H) 10:37; 8 Nathan Burn (BW) 10:39; 9 Fin Shorland (H) 10:40; 10 Ed Opie (S) 10:47.

Senior girls: 1 Gemma Shepherd (S) 16:23; 2 Miranda King (M) 17:43; 3 Ellen Lindsay (S) 17:48; 4 Jasmine Thayer (SWG) 17:48; 5 Kirsty Stanley (S) 18:11; 6 Emily Neve (D) 18:18; 7 Issy Dickson (SWG) 19:24; 8 Hannah Land (ST) 20:43; 9 Liberty Nicholls (ST) 22:03; 10 Phillipa Sumner (G) 22:20.

Inter girls: 1 Zoe Wassell (M) 15:38; 2 Cailtin Wosika (JG) 16:53; 3 Saskia Debenham (G) 17:10; 4 Jade Day (MA) 17:33; 5 Yasmin Watling (SM) 17:43; 6 Lucy Buffham (H) 18:07; 7 Chloe Crippen (NH) 18:35; 8 Kirsty Roberts (M) 18:58; 9 Emma Pike (SWG) 19:02; 10 Ariana Watling (SM) 19:15.

Junior girls: 1 Abigail Burn (SWG) 12:37; 2 Jade Littlechild (CS) 13:10; 3 Lucy Fitzpatrick (SM) 13:32; 4 Karla Jackson (SJ) 13:40; 5 Coco Smythe (G) 13:41; 6 Caroline Brenchley (SM) 13:50; 7 Louise Webb (SWG) 13:51; 8 Scarlett Rockett (SL) 13:57; 9 Becky Service (SE) 14:00; 10 Ella Malik (SM) 14:04.

Minor girls: 1 Sophie Smith (SJ) 10:50; 2 Susie Hirst (SM) 10:56; 3 India Ibbotson (H) 11:10; 4 Beth Mayer (SJ) 11:19; 5 Cerys Jones (S) 11:35; 6 Emilee Berry (SWG) 11:50; 7 Isabella Goulding (SWG) 11:50; 8 Megan Poole (I) 11:54; 9 Lily Jackson (SJ) 11:59; 10 Lucy Matthews (SWG) 12:01.

Key: A=Abbeyfield; BF=Bradon Forest; BW=Bishop Wordsworth Grammer; CS=Corsham School; D=Dauntsey’s; DE=Devizes; H=Hardenhuish; G=Godolphin; I=Isambard Community School; JG=John of Gaunt; LPA=Lydiard Park Academy; M=Malmesbury; MA=Matravers; MO=Melksham Oak; NH=Nova Hreod; R=Ridgeway; S=Sheldon; SA=St Augustines Catholic College; SE=St Edmund’s CoE Girls; SJ=St John’s; SJC=St Joseph’s Catholic School; SL=St Laurence; SM=St Mary’s Calne; SNC=Swindon New College; SS=Stonehenge School; ST=Stonar; SWG=South Wilts Grammar; TS=Trafalgar School; WC=Wyvern College.